Leftovers
Like all sacraments, Holy Communion is an outward sign of an inward grace. In this case, the outward sign is the act of consuming a small white wafer. We’re aware, of course, that this wafer is actually the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord. Nevertheless, it’s the action of consuming it that occupies our mind when we receive Communion. Protestant churches actually emphasize this action, turning it into nothing more than our participation in a communal meal. They call Mass the “Communion Service” or the “Lord’s Supper”, an idea that has infiltrated into the post-conciliar Church, as for example, when they proclaim to the faithful that “Blessed are they who are called to his Supper.” By emphasizing the aspect of Communion as a meal, they not only desacralize this most holy of actions, but they turn it into nothing more than a simple action, a bodily function that has some vague connection with feeding our souls. They miss the point. Holy Communion is not just the act of receiving Communion, but is rather a state of being—the state of being in Communion with God through the reception of the Divine Eucharist. Not just a single act but an entire experience.
When we receive Holy Communion, the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ dwells within our soul. We are intimately united with him, we are in union with God, Communion. We remain in this state as long as the Blessed Sacrament is really present within us. This is generally regarded to be about fifteen minutes, based on simple biology. The presence of Christ endures within us so long as the sacred species retains its form. We should give this some serious thought. Communion isn’t just a trip to the communion rail and back. Christ is within us for about a quarter of an hour, during which time we should commune with him in our soul through prayers of adoration and thanksgiving. How long after we receive Communion does Mass end? Is the end of the final verse of the hymn our signal to start socializing, or is that fifteen minutes not yet over? Should we perhaps remain in silence on our knees a little longer? In the old days, when we had churches with tabernacles, people were able to remain at prayer in their pews long after the priest left the altar. Nowadays, unfortunately, we must forego such luxuries, but let’s not forget the awe-inspiring presence of Almighty God within us, and our obligation to behave accordingly.
Fifteen minutes is not a long time. We might measure our love of God by how fast that time goes by, but if we do, I fear we may be dismayed at our lack of fervent devotion to the real presence of our omnipotent Creator and Redeemer within us. There’s a famous story told about St. Philip Neri, that one day while he was celebrating Mass, a man received Holy Communion and left the church early. The man appeared to have no regard for the Presence within him and so Philip Neri decided to use this opportunity as a teaching moment. He sent two altar boys with lighted candles to follow the man outside of the church. After a while walking through the streets of Rome, the man turned around to see the altar boys still following him. Confused, the man returned to the church and asked Philip Neri why he sent the altar boys. Saint Philip Neri responded by saying, “We have to pay proper respect to Our Lord, Whom you are carrying away with you. Since you neglect to adore Him, I sent two acolytes to take your place.” The man was stunned by this response and immediately resolved to be more aware of God’s presence in the future. Let’s follow his example by saying our thanksgiving as fervently as we can when we return to our places after Communion, and remain aware of our union with God during those all too precious minutes that remain before Mass comes to an end.
By way of consolation, we should take a look at today’s Gospel in which our Lord feeds the multitude in the wilderness. Let’s turn our attention to the scene after the hunger of the multitude was miraculously satisfied. “They did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.” The number of baskets is not without meaning. And today we’re going to consider these seven baskets as being representative of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost. For we know, don’t we, that our bodies are temples of the Holy Ghost so long as we remain in the state of sanctifying grace. At Holy Communion we receive the grace of the sacrament, an abundance of sanctifying grace in which the Holy Ghost will happily make his abode. But this increase of grace within us doesn’t make the Holy Ghost more present than he was. It isn’t possible for the Holy Ghost to be either more or less present in our souls—he is either present or he isn’t. So what does this increase of sanctifying grace mean for us when we receive Holy Communion?
With this increase of sanctifying grace, we also receive an increase in the Gifts of the Holy Ghost, and this continues its work in our souls long after the real sacramental presence of God is gone. We know what these gifts are: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord—seven gifts in all, corresponding to the seven baskets left over after the feeding of the multitude, seven gifts left over in our souls after the reception of Holy Communion.
Once we leave church today, spend some time in thinking about each of the seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost, and how we have been given an increase in each of them, more or less of each one according to our needs. Let’s think of ways how we can cooperate with these gifts by practicing the virtues they give us, by rooting out our own habitual vices, bad habits, and imperfections. Through our reception of the Holy Eucharist we have not only spent some precious time in union with God himself, but now he has left us with an increase in his gifts, gifts that we can use for the benefit of our own souls and for the good of our neighbor. Let’s not waste these gifts, these “leftovers” from Communion.
Communion is the source of grace. The Sevenfold Gifts are the results of that grace. Let’s thank God for both and use them to transform the days between our Communions into a burning desire to bring our souls ever closer to God.